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Being elected is the first step in becoming a member of the Order of the Arrow. Attending one of the 2016 Induction Weekends is your next step. Click on the “Candidate Info” tab above to download a copy of the Registration Form, the BSA Health Form, and the Candidate Instructions Packet. The 2016 Induction Weekends are: May 13 – May 15, June 17 – June 19, September 23 – September 25. More information regarding check-in and check-out times, what to bring, and cost are discussed in the Candidate Instructions Packet. The registration form and packet can be found under Candidate Info. or by clicking here. Send in your registration to the Council Office as soon as possible.

Troops that would like to schedule an OA election for their Troop must contact their District’s Chapter Adviser. All elections need to be completed by April 15, 2016. Units are not permitted to run their own elections even if they have OA members on their roster. Once your election is scheduled, your Chapter will send an election team to visit your unit to run the election.

Adults who wish to become members of the Order of the Arrow must first be nominated by their Troop Committee. Each year, upon holding a troop election for youth candidates that results in at least one youth candidate being elected, the unit committee may nominate registered unit adults (age 21 or over) to the lodge adult selection committee. The number of adults nominated can be no more than one-third of the number of youth candidates elected, rounded up where the number of youth candidates is not a multiple of three. In addition to the one-third limit, the unit committee may nominate the currently-serving unit leader (but not assistant leaders), as long as he or she has served as unit leader for at least the previous 12 months. Recommendations of the adult selection committee, with the approval of the Scout executive, serving as Supreme Chief of the Fire, will be candidates for induction, provided all conditions are fulfilled. The form can be found under Resources->Forms or by clicking here.

Adults must meet the same camping requirements as youth to be considered for membership. Approved adults will be notified in writing of their approval and will be sent a registration form. Registration cannot occur for an adult until the approval is received. All adult nomination forms are due to the Chapter Adviser no later than April 30, 2016.

For current members who did not purchase a 2016 Lodge Pass, you have the ability to sign up for one, two, or all three of the Induction Weekends by sending in this form. Brothers who wish to convert to Brotherhood Membership or participate in our Elangomat program can do so by marking the appropriate box on the form. The form can be found by clicking Resources -> Forms or by clicking here

On Sunday, January 3rd at 2pm at Coram Fire Department, the lodge will be having its annual Winter Banquet. This is a time to say thanks to the brothers who have put in dedicated service for the last year as the lodge and chapter officers, enjoy some delicious food, and merriment. The cost of this event is $20 for youth and guests and $30 for adults and if you bought a lodge pass for 2016, the Winter Banquet is covered in it. Also, you DO NOT need to wear uniform, just dress nice.

To register for this event you can find the form under Resources->Forms or by clicking here

Every year we ask our members to pay a small dues fee of $12 for membership in the lodge. If you were inducted in 2015, your dues for this year were covered when you paid for your induction. If you were inducted in 2014 or prior and would like to remain an active member of the lodge you need to submit a copy of the Lodge Dues Form with your payment to the Suffolk County Council Center.

For those of you interested in attending a majority of our events this year (Winter Banquet, Induction Weekends, Fall Fellowship), a Lodge Pass may be a better option for you. A Lodge Pass pays for your 2016 dues, the Winter Banquet, all three Induction Weekends, the Fall Fellowship and the Spring LLD held by the lodge. All of this for $85 for youth (under 21) or $95 for adults. If you were inducted in 2015 you can purchase this great offer at the lower rate of $75 for youth (under 21) or $85 for adults. However, this offer is only available until the Winter Banquet on January 3rd so purchase your Lodge Pass soon, before it’s too late!

The forms can be found under the Resources ->Forms section, or for a dues form click here and for a Lodge Pass click here

On Oct 31st, the lodge will be holding an OA Gladiator 100th Anniversary Fellowship and a Centennial Rededication Ceremony. The day events will take place from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm with a movie night from 4:00 pm – 8:30 pm. The cost is $20 for the day program, rededication and lunch and $25 for all that plus movie night. To sign up or for more details click here!

Unit leader approval – To become eligible for election, a Boy Scout must be registered with the Boy Scouts of America and have the approval of his unit leader prior to the election. The unit leader must certify his Scout spirit (i.e., his adherence to the Scout Oath and Law and active participation in unit activities). The unit leader must also certify that the nominee meets all specified requirements at the time of this annual election.

Youth membership qualifications.

All members of, or candidates for membership in, the Order of the Arrow who are under 21 years of age shall be considered youth members or candidates for youth membership, subject to meeting the following requirements:

-Be a registered member of the Boy Scouts of America.

-Hold the First Class rank of the Boy Scouts of America, as a minimum.

-After registration with a troop or team, have experienced 15 days and nights of Boy Scout camping during the two-year period prior to the election. The 15 days and nights must include one, but no more than one, long-term camp consisting of six consecutive days and five nights of resident camping, approved and under the auspices and standards of the Boy Scouts of America. The balance of the camping must be overnight, weekend, or other short-term camps.

The Vigil Honor Committee is now accepting nominations of deserving OA brothers for the Vigil Honor Class of 2015. If you would like to nominate someone, please download the nomination form, which can be found under Resources -> Forms or by clicking here, and send it to the committee by February 15, 2015.